Equilibrium
by Hazelehm
Summary: The sun was swallowed by the mountains, leaving only the scattered remains of subdued red light to accentuate the outline of the mountains enclosing Republic City. Looking outward, the graceful figure of Jinora practicing her air bending forms could be seen clearly from the balcony on which he stood. This is my first ever fanfic.
1. Observation

**Equilibrium**

**Chapter One - Observation**

The sun was swallowed by the mountains, leaving only the scattered remains of subdued red light to accentuate the outline of the mountains enclosing Republic City. The fading red of the sunset caused the old cream stones of Air Temple Island to take on a muted tone of deep orange. Looking outward, the graceful figure of Jinora practicing her air bending forms could be seen clearly from the balcony on which he was standing. In watching her, it was almost hard to believe that six years had passed since he had first met her. He leaned on the railing of the balcony and allowed himself to become entranced by her movements. She masterfully danced her was through her stances, circling the yin and yang mural as she demonstrated her incredible control over the air around her. He observed the way the dying sunlight enhanced the colours of the robes which clung to her body, the shine that it gave her long brown hair. Everything about her, even from where he was standing, showed a confident and beautiful young woman. Jinora had been putting in extra hours of practice each day in preparation for her Airbending exam. This was a big deal for not only Jinora, but the whole island. If she passed this last test, she was to be deemed an Airbending Master. This didn't just require a display of her Airbending skills; it also required a test of spiritual strength and endurance. A twenty four hour meditation test would also take place. If she was able to successfully complete all the thirty six elements of her test, she would earn her Airbending arrows. The young man on the balcony tried to picture Jinora with the blue arrow tattoos on her body when he was swiftly snapped out of his daydream by the sound of the door sliding and a familiar voice behind him.

"Hey Bolin! Dinner's almost ready. You coming?"

Bolin gave a quick glance in Mako's direction to indicate that he had heard him.

"Yeah bro, just give me a minute. How about I meet you down there?"

Mako nodded quietly in answer to Bolin and then turning on his heel, he casually headed out to the dining room. When Bolin looked back at where Jinora was practicing, he could see her finishing up with some stretches. She then bent an air scooter and headed towards the girls quarters. He gave a soft smile in her direction before realising that he was swooning over a sixteen year old girl. He then started scolding himself for being interested in Jinora, telling himself that it was creepy. It was no use though; it didn't change the fact that he had strong feelings for her. Sighing in internal defeat, he turned towards the door and headed down to dinner.

* * *

Jinora wasn't blind. Out of the corner of her eye she could see Bolin watching her as she practiced. Even though he was a considerable distance away, she could clearly make out his broad shoulders and goofy smile. She didn't acknowledge him though, it would have distracted her. It wasn't that she didn't like his attention, in fact over the past few months she had started noticing the young man a lot more and had developed strong feelings towards him. She could only attribute it to the kind of feelings described in the books she would bury her nose in all the time. Jinora knew however that now was not the time to even entertain the thought of being with the older Earth bender. Jinora needed to let go of her feelings for Bolin and all other earthly attachments in order to concentrate on the spiritual freedom she needed to pass her Airbending exam and most importantly the meditation phase of the test. At least, that's what she told herself. It may also have been the fact that he was her first crush and she had no idea what to do about it. Something told her that the six year age difference may also be an issue for him. Exhausted, she decided that it was a good time to stop practicing for the night. Stretching her arms in the air and moving them gently side to side she let out a contented sigh then promptly made an air scooter and rode back to the girls' quarters in preparation for dinner.

* * *

Dinner, as usual was filled with amazing food, laughter, idle conversation, heated debate, pass the such-and-such and the latest gossip around the island, which Tenzin was not so fond of. The atmosphere at the table was warm and friendly. There were enough members at the table that there was never a dull moment in the conversation. After Tenzin had had enough of the idle gossip emanating from Asami and Korra's direction, he excused himself from the table and said his goodnights. After his departure the hot topic of conversation at the table shifted to Jinora's upcoming Airbending test the next day.

"So Jinora, are you excited about your test tomorrow?" Korra asked with an interest.

"To be honest, I'm trying not to think about it right now." Jinora replied truthfully, placing her rice bowl on the table. She continued

"I want to be able to sleep well tonight so I can focus properly tomorrow." She continued in a reasonable voice.

"You don't have to be nervous, you'll do great." Asami offered with a smile.

"I'm sure you'll do just fine." Pema added supportively.

Jinora smiled at everyone appreciatively, taking solace in the words of encouragement and enthusiastic smiles of her family and friends. She would never admit it to any of them, but she was absolutely nerve wracked about tomorrow. As the first of the Airbending children she felt an enormous amount of responsibility to pass her test and present everything perfectly the first time around. As she thought everything that she had to do tomorrow she started having stress fuelled thoughts on what she might mess up in her exam. It's when she heard the sound of people shifting that she was brought out of her thoughts.

_'The nerves are already starting to cloud my mind.'_ She thought to herself as she realised that without her noticing the majority of the group had left the table already. Leaving only Korra, Bolin and herself still seated.

"I'm absolutely stuffed," Stated Korra while rubbing her belly.

"I think I'm going to call it quits for the night. Good luck for everything tomorrow Jinora. I know you'll be great." Korra said encouragingly whilst standing ready to leave. She walked out of the dining room, leaving Bolin and Jinora alone.

Jinora could tell that Bolin had something on his mind by the not-so-subtle way he opened and closed him mouth like a giant Lizard Fish out of water. Jinora giggled endearingly, which seemed to loosen him up a bit and allow him to regain control of his speech.

"Now Jinora, I know you were able to convince the others that you aren't nervous, but I'm not so convinced." Bolin stated in a well natured matter-of-fact voice.

She could tell that he wasn't originally going to say that, but regardless Jinora looked down at her lap and felt a blush rise to her cheeks. He had her pegged, but she wasn't about to readily admit it.

"Well, unfortunately your skills of perception seem to be off because you happen to be wrong." Jinora replied simply, trying to play it cool. She blew some of her loose brown hair out of her face and smiled at him calmly.

"Oh really, do I?" Bolin replied in an amused tone and a twinkle in his eye.

"If you're so chilled out than why haven't you picked up a book all week? Hmmm..."

_Damn it. He noticed that? Quick, think of something witty, avoid the topic_. Jinora thought to herself frantically.

"I uhhmm... I've just been really busy and I haven't had the... uhhh... time! I have been practicing really hard and... I had to do the washing! And I... "Jinora sighed in defeat.

"Ok fine you're right. I am nervous." Jinora admitted with defeat.

Instead of doing what he would normally do and giving a hefty 'HA! I knew it!', He instead chose a more sympathetic approach to her.

"Jinora, listen to me. You are going to be great. I've seen how you move when you practice, this week you've been nothing but perfect. Besides, you can only move like you move if you're a master. You've got this!"

Jinora's face was encompassed by a giant blush from the kind words that Bolin had given her. She was extremely grateful for his support and at the same time slightly embarrassed because he had pretty much just admitted to regularly watching her practice. She watched him as he stood from the table and followed suit herself. Bolin walked around the table to where she was standing, leaving only a small amount of space between them. Her breath caught up in her throat at the feeling of him in close proximity to her. She looked slightly up at the taller young man. Their eyes locked in an intoxicating gaze of affection. The only thing she could manage to utter was a small "Thanks Bolin" Bolin brought Jinora into his chest and hugged her for a prolonged moment. One thousand thoughts rushed into Jinoras mind. Mostly about the way she seemed to fit perfectly against Bolin's taut body. She placed her hands on his arms and held him back. He regretfully released her from their embrace and slightly blushed. They looked at each other again with an even greater amount of care and after a moment they said their goodnights.

As they reached the split in the boys and girls quarters, Bolin said a final Good luck to Jinora, giving her a heart melting smile before turning and continuing down the corridor to the boys quarters.

Jinora sighed contently and secretly knew that she wasn't going to get much sleep tonight.


	2. Transience

_**AN: Sadly, I do not own LOK, nor do I own the characters. I own nothing except the plot, but of course you already know that. Please review and tell me whether I should continue this story. Hazel.**_

Chapter Two – Transience

As predicted by Jinora, She had definitely not slept well. Her dreams were plagued with images of Bolin. It was like her mind was making a point to admire everything about him. His gentle smile, the way he held her, His striking emerald green eyes. Even in her dreams her feelings for him were electric. Unfortunately electricity is not conducive to a good night's sleep and after every short dream she'd have of him, she'd wake up in a haze. Sighing in slight annoyance and fatigue at waking up for what seemed like the hundredth time, she briefly glances over at her clock.

Four a.m.

Great...

Groaning from the sight of the time, she rolled over in her bed and willed herself to close her eyes and finally get at least an hour's worth of uninterrupted sleep...

_She was with him on Avatar Aang Memorial Island looking out towards the light littered Republic City. At night the city still retained its beauty. Regardless of impending nightfall steadily encapsulating the metropolis, it was still bustling with energy, life and light. _

"_It's beautiful, isn't it?" Bolin offered to Jinora as she stood and observed her surroundings. _

_Jinora nodded her head thoughtfully whilst still looking out at the vibrant city. After a few seconds had passed she turned and directed her full attention at Bolin who was now sitting down beside her. She joined him in sitting down, becoming more than aware of the energy between them._

"_It's really peaceful to look at" Jinora reflected contently. She looked over at Bolin with brown eyes full of adoration. His eyes returned the look but after a moment, they faltered and reluctantly tore themselves away from hers. His look of adoration replaced with a troubled look, furrowing his brow and making his smile turn into a hard line._

"Jinora, do you think that this is wrong? I mean, I'm twenty two, and you're only sixteen. I don't want to be a creepy old man" Bolin rambled, a look of concern plastering his face. It almost looked as though he didn't want the answer.

"_Bolin, my mum and dad have an age difference of sixteen years. If they can be together, there's no reason why we can't be, right?" Jinora replied comfortingly. _

_She noticed the internal conflict steadily raging inside of Bolin's mind. She didn't like to see him like this. In an effort to quash his anguish, she moved closer to him, closing the space between them so that their legs pressed against each other. Looking at his lap, Jinora saw his hand and gently placed hers in his. She was surprised at how big and rough they were compared to her soft, petite hands. This seemed to make Bolin feel a little better, as indicated by the gentle squeeze he gave her hand. He looked over to her, obviously still trying to justify the feelings he had for her. After a minute or so he looked intently at her. Her beauty was truly mesmerising. The way the moonlight accentuated the contours of her body, giving her the glow of the moon spirit was almost too much. Bolin was caught in the moment. Looking in to her eyes, he started to lean towards her, she did the same._

"_Jinora" He said softly, coming closer to her, his free hand moving to gently cup her cheek._

"_Jinora" He repeated her name as if it were a prayer. They were very close now, only inches away from each other's lips._

"Jinora!"

Her brown eyes snapped opened to meet the sunlight, her ears responding to the loud shout of her name.

"Jinora! Wake up" Pema said firmly.

"If you don't get up soon you are going to be late for your test!" Pema reminded Jinora with a sense of necessity. With that she slid the door shut and left Jinora to get ready.

At Pema's remark, Jinora turned her head and blearily looked at the time, removing her tousled brown hair from her face.

Six a.m.

Oh no...

"Spirits! My test is in twenty minutes!" Jinora yelped, propelling herself out of bed abruptly, disorienting herself by moving so fast. Jinora hurriedly put on her orange and yellow robes, grabbed her staff wildly and pelted down the corridor to the kitchen. Her long brown hair was loose and still untamed when she reached the kitchens, shocking some of the Air Acolytes peacefully eating their breakfast. Briefly sitting, she gracelessly shoved as much food in to her mouth as she physically could, realising that she wouldn't be able to eat for the rest of the day. This again earned her some stares from the other residents. Once she had finished, she immediately rushed back to her room leaving a trail of wind and her empty bowl behind, passing a stunned Korra down the corridor in her wake. Once she got to her room, she manically brushed her hair and pulled it hastily into her signature bun. Breathing to steady herself she observed the time.

Ten past Six

Thank the spirits.

With that she relaxed a little and made sure that she was ready to go, double checking herself before finally departing the women's quarters to face her last Airbending test.


	3. Perception

Chapter Three – Perception

Unlike Jinora, Bolin had been able to fall asleep rather soundly, confident in the newly found knowledge that on some level, his feelings were reciprocated by Jinora. As Bolin gradually stirred from his slumber, he brought the thick cream covers up closer to his face to shield the blinding light of the morning from stinging his eyes. After securely placing the covers over his head, he cracked one groggy eye open to observe the time. His vision was foggy from having just woken up, but after a few seconds passed, his eye yielded to his demand and clearly focused on the small clock next to him.

Nine a.m.

Fantastic! I'm up early!

Giving a wide yawn, Bolin stretched out his limbs comfortably and raised his arms to lie folded behind his head. Reminiscing, he couldn't help but let a huge smile emerge on his face. Bolin almost couldn't believe that what had happened last night was real. It was almost too good to be true. He took a moment to properly reflect on the feelings he had last night and on the connection he had made with Jinora. The sensation of holding her in his arms and her reciprocating was one the most intimate and phenomenal thing he had ever experienced. Even though he had only held her, the feeling was completely magnetic, thoroughly intoxicating and addictive. He couldn't help wanting more of her. Everything about the young woman was completely irresistible to a fault. That was the problem. Sitting up from his lying position in bed he put his elbows on his knees and held his face heavily in his rough hands, feeling the slight emergence of stubble moving underneath his fingertips. This sensation alone reminded him bitterly of his age.

Getting up, he quietly made his way towards the small tarnished mirror hanging on the wall to observe his features. There had been some major improvements in his appearance now in comparison to what he had looked like as a teenager. His broad face had lost the youthful puppy fat that filled his cheeks in his teenage years. Its departure was replaced by his strong jaw line and well defined features. His thick black hair was still unkempt with tousled curls, but now was kept slightly shorter than he used to have it. In his teens, Bolin could only manage to grow pathetic, feeble patches of wispy facial hair. Bolin was now able to grow a full face of uniform stubble. Even though he now could grow a beard, he kept his face mostly clean shaven. Overall his face had only undergone some minor changes from ageing. The one thing that remained consistent throughout the years were his eyes. They still possessed the same gleam of boisterous youth. They had been enhanced by a dash of intelligence gained by age, giving his large green eyes a handsome glimmer. Something that had massively changed was his height. He had grown at least six inches and now stood almost as high as Tenzin.

Taking all of his physical and mental comparisons on board and attributing his life experience, he knew that even though his feelings for Jinora were strong; their union would have to wait a while longer. Even though she was much more intelligent and mature than him, her age made his feelings for her appear just a little bit wrong. The realisation pained him terribly. If Bolin could wait it out until her seventeenth birthday in a few months, there may be a chance that his feelings towards her would be accepted by their friends and her family. For now, he was willing to play the waiting game.

Bolin suddenly wondered if Jinora's test would be held in the yin and yang training area visible from the balcony. He swiftly walked over and looked outwards to the beautiful mural. No-one was out there. Knowing better than to try and find her, he kept her on his mind and walked down to the kitchens for an 'early' breakfast.

* * *

Jinora had quickly and calmly made her way up the many stairs to the elevated area behind the air temple. She internally asked the spirits and her grandfather Aang for their wisdom and blessings. When she had finally made it to the top of the stairs, she observed eight traditionally dressed air acolytes sitting directly across from her entry. They were seated on a slightly raised platform in a straight line so that she could see them all simultaneously. She could only recognise two of the members. One of them she knew was the senior air acolyte from Air Temple Island named Chimon, whom she had discussed many a historical text with. The rest of the weathered looking members appeared to be the senior air acolytes from the four other air temples. The eighth member of the panel wore the vibrant blue arrows of a formally recognised master air bender. Her father and Airbending master, Tenzin.

When Jinora stopped in front of the seated members of the panel, she bowed deeply and with great respect. It was known that even though the senior Air Acolytes could not air bend by themselves, they dedicated their lives to studying the forms, stances and traditions of air bending extensively in an effort to preserve the rare skill. Jinora had the utmost amount of respect for these scholars and their dedication to knowledge.

After Jinora straightened up from her bow, one of the members in the middle of the group sitting next to Tenzin addressed Jinora respectfully.

"Welcome to your last exam young air bender," The wise old man enthused with a deep, creaky voice.

"Today, you will be asked to demonstrate your bending ability throughout all thirty six tiers of mastery," The old man continued informatively. "As you know, the tiers are split into six different categories for the bending segment of the exam. These are: Stances, Control, Offense, Defence, Movement and Specialist techniques."

"In the meditation segment of your exam you must demonstrate spiritual endurance and fortitude. If you should break from your meditative state at any time within the twenty four hours, you will not pass the exam. Have you got any questions?" The old man finished off eagerly. Jinora shook her head politely to indicate that she had understood everything that he had said.

"Alright then, let the exam begin"

* * *

_**AN: I thought that the bending exam deserved its own chapter. Sorry to make you wait. I promise it will be in soon. I really hope you are enjoying this story as much as I am enjoying writing it.**_

_**Please review and let me know what you think. I really appreciate the feedback.**_

_**Hazelehm.**_


	4. Examination

Chapter Four – Examination

The cool air around her was progressively warmed up by the presence of the slowly emerging sun. Before beginning her test, she steadied herself, taking a deep breath in. Jinora felt the air enter her body filling her up and giving her a sense of balance and life. The air within this area of the island felt as though it was almost alive. There was a sense of energy she felt while manipulating the tiny particles, a silent hum that reverberated through the air, sympathetic to her graceful movements. The sensation of the air on her skin energised her and made her feel alive.

"Let's begin your test with your basic level Airbending skills," The head of the panel, Chiron, stated evenly.

**Tier One through Twelve – Basic Airbending.**

Jinora started demonstrating her basic level techniques with perfect control and poise, allowing strong gusts of air to pass elegantly from her fingertips. As she moved gracefully through the sequence of stances, she became increasingly aware of the energy surrounding her body. Jinora took advantage of its presence to flawlessly execute her demonstration of basic Airbending. The air acolytes had previously moved the spinning gates to the test area to examine her movements through the gates. She sinuously weaved through the spinning gates, using spiral movements to avoid the stark opposition of the gates. Her dexterity and vibrancy earned her some approving nods from a few of the senior acolytes. Her offensive and defensive forms were nothing short of incredible. Her ability to think quickly on her feet and dodge any attack thrown at her by Tenzin also earned her some more respect from the panel. Jinora knew that Tenzin was only throwing easy attacks at this point and that they would get a lot harder to block as the day progressed. Jinora didn't care at this point, she practically glowed with confidence. While the basic level forms were crucial to the test, they were not the part of the exam that she was worried about. Jinora had been practicing these forms since the day she was discovered to be an air bender. Although Jinora was confident now, a nagging voice at the back of her mind was telling her that towards the end of the exam she may start to struggle. She expelled the thought out of her head by internally naming the moves that she was making, increasing her focus on the task at hand. With one last flawlessly executed move, she finished her twelfth tier demonstration.

'_Twelve down, Twenty four to go,_' she thought to herself, exhaling quickly and straightening up to face the panel.

"A fantastic demonstration of your basic Airbending," praised Chiron with a humble smile. Jinora bowed politely to accept the compliment. "Please continue with your demonstration of intermediate level Airbending," He continued calmly.

**Tier Thirteen through Twenty Four – Intermediate Airbending.**

The intermediate section of the exam started much the same as the basic level except that some problems were starting to present themselves. This section of the exam was taking place in the hottest part of the day. The sweltering mid day sun was beating down on her relentlessly, creating small beads of perspiration which rolled down her face with her movements. The stinging feeling of sweat rolling down into her sensitive brown eyes was having a nasty effect on her concentration. If that wasn't bad enough, the sweltering heat of the sun had super heated the stone slabs underneath her feet, scalding them whenever she stood too long in one spot and making her feet blister. Despite all of the frustration and pain she was experiencing, Jinora was fiercely determined to show the same level of finesse and perfection that the panel of acolytes had seen her present in the first level of the test.

The intermediate section required Jinora to counter attacks and artfully dodge anything propelled at her by Tenzin. In this part of the test she was allowed the use of her glider to demonstrate her staff techniques. Unlike the basic test, Tenzin was now forcing Jinora to think quickly. He now had a look of mixed determination and pride in his eyes as he artfully challenged his daughter. All the attacks he was throwing at her were being expertly avoided or deflected by her brilliant display of Airbending skill. Tenzin tried to get the better of her by directing a blast of wind at her feet. Jinora responded by rapidly flying upwards with her glider whilst sending a strong gust of wind towards him. This caught him off guard, causing him to fall ungracefully on the hard stone floor. He quickly regained his composure and stood up to bow at his daughter, who landed effortlessly in front of him with a grin.

"Well done, Jinora," He said to her fondly, rising from his bow to meet her sparkling eyes.

'_Twenty four down, twelve to go,' _Jinora voiced to herself internally as she wiped the sweat off her brow. Jinora turned to face the panel with her eyes shining expectantly.

"Once again, we are most delighted by your Airbending prowess," Chiron spoke on behalf of the panel, "However; we already knew that you could do the first twenty four tiers. Now, the real test begins. After a ten minute break, we will start your Advanced Airbending test," He finished strongly.

By this stage of the day, the sun was starting to sink deeply behind Republic City, giving way to the faint twinkle of sunset stars. Before the test was able to start, the acolytes lit the many lamps that enclosed the area, casting their warm yellow light invitingly throughout the space. As she waited, the wind whispered softly around Jinora's frame, sending a slight chill over her body and causing the loose sections of her hair to dance gently beside her face. Looking towards Avatar Aang Memorial Island, she internally asked for her grandfather's help to get through the remaining sections of the test. Almost immediately after Jinora had asked this, she felt the hum of energy in the air grow stronger. It felt as though he was standing right there beside her. She wondered whether her father had picked up on the change and looked over to see. He didn't seem to acknowledge any change. With this silent gesture of support from Aang, she let an effervescent smile spread out over her face. Jinora was now ready to finish this.

"Let's start the last phase of your Airbending test. If you pass this section of the test, you will be allowed to go on to do the twenty four hour meditation to gain your mastery tattoos. If you should fail, you will not be eligible to retake this test until a year from today," Chiron explained seriously to Jinora.

Jinora visibly shuddered at the thought of having to wait a full year to retake her test. She became increasingly more determined to pass the last twelve tiers. '_Let's do this,'_ She thought in determination, in her mind, sounding like Korra_._

**Tier twenty five though thirty six – Advanced Airbending.**

Starting the last twelve tiers felt like agony. The movements for such high level Airbending required a series of intricate and complicated moves that had to be done with extreme precision and in the exact order. It took all the remaining concentration and strength that she could muster to fluently execute the moves that Tenzin was calling out. Elaborate spirals of energised wind travelled from her skilfully positioned hands, creating strong gusts of wind that made the trees beside her bow in submission. She created an impeccably controlled hurricane which she used to propel her upwards to look over the entire island without damaging the ground or people below. Returning to the ground, she audaciously fought off her father's incredibly skilled attacks, sending equally elaborate assaults straight back at him. She darted swiftly around any resistance she met and managed to block anything she couldn't dodge with walls of impenetrable air. She quickened the pace by hopping on an air scooter and shooting expertly aimed attacks towards Tenzin. Jinora could feel herself gaining ground on her father and decided to exploit her advantage by using the opportunity to debut her own originally created move; Tier Thirty Six - The Air Dragon. Jinora masterfully created delicate streams of super compressed air which darkened to create a weaving bodied formation of a translucent dragon. The Air dragon proficiently ripped through the sky, delivering merciless propulsions of hot air towards the vulnerable master air bender, causing him to tumble across the hard ground stopping inches before almost tumbling down the stairs.

The panel observed the scene with eyes bulging and jaws scraping on the ground. The senior acolytes were utterly gobsmacked by what they had just witnessed. Jinora's air dragon flew through the air cleverly before disappearing in to thin air as though it had never existed. Tenzin stood up slowly and brushed himself off looking equally stunned by what just happened.

"That. Was. Incredible!" yelled one of the male air acolytes enthusiastically. The other members of the panel nodded vigorously in passionate agreement.

"I've never seen anything like it," Tenzin added in shock. "How did you even come up with that? You must teach it to me," He finished with an air of awe and pride. Jinora beamed at him, and then directed her eyes to the panel once again.

"Jinora," Chiron started, "After the full demonstration of the thirty six tiers of mastery, we are all in perfect agreement that you are ready to progress to the next stage of the test. The last step is in attaining your master status is to prove to us that your spirit is as strong as your bending. Take a half an hour break to prepare yourself for your twenty four hours of meditation. We will meet you at the meditation pavilion ten minutes before midnight," Chiron finished happily. With that, the air acolytes all stood and left down the stairs, giving congratulatory pats on Jinora's shoulder as they passed. The last to congratulate her was Tenzin.

"Jinora, I am so proud of you," Tenzin started, looking out towards Avatar Aang Memorial Island. "Your grandfather would have been very proud too," He said smiling down at his daughter before pulling her in to a warm fatherly hug.

"Now, you must hurry, you only have half an hour to get ready for your meditation," He added softly as he let her go with a smile. "I'll see you down there." Tenzin said encouragingly as he left his daughter where she was standing. He sent a wave of air to blow out the lanterns and descended quietly down the steep stairs.

Jinora breathed in deeply, relaxing her body in to a slouch for the first time all day. Smiling from ear to ear with exhausted eyes, Jinora looked up to the twinkling stars that littered the sky.

"Thank you, Aang" she praised out loud before quickly stretching her arms above her head. She grabbed her staff and spun it around to open her glider. Jinora ascended gracefully in to the sky and headed towards home to prepare for her meditation and get herself some well deserved food.

_**AN: This chapter was really difficult to write, sorry it took so long. I really hope you liked it. Get excited for the meditation! Please feel free to give me some feedback; I would really like to hear your opinion on the story and any ideas or constructive criticism you may have, It really helps me. Praise is good too :P**_

_**Hazelehm**_


	5. Yearning

Chapter Five - Yearning

It wasn't until Jinora had landed outside of the dining hall that she fully realised the extent of her hunger and exhaustion. She hauled her weary body laboriously up the steps and made her way sleepily to the kitchens, obeying the loud demands of her growling stomach. Fuelled by her hunger, she barged ungracefully in to the kitchens, making a beeline straight for the pantry, grabbing a bowl on her way. She was so focused on her mission to ransack the pantry that she was completely oblivious to the other person sitting at the kitchen table. It wasn't until she had stacked her arms full with food to eat that she heard a hesitant but inquisitive voice from the table behind the pantry door.

"Jinora?" The light tenor voice questioned her softly. Caught off guard, Jinora span around abruptly, dropping the wooden bowl and some of the food that she had gathered in surprise.

"B...Bolin?" Jinora cried in alarm. She was not at all prepared for anyone to see her in the current state she was in, yet alone him. Her face started to blush an unflattering shade of deep red as she hastily picked up the items that she had dropped.

"What are you doing here? I mean, why are up so late? Shouldn't you be in bed by now? I mean you don't have to be in bed, you are an adult and stuff, but..." She awkwardly trailed off realising that her usually eloquent conversation skills had been diminished by her exhaustion accompanied by his presence. Jinora flushed an even deeper red as she finished her sentence, looking at the ground to hide her face and shuffling her small feet nervously. Bolin gave a hearty chuckle at her flustered state and looked at her with an expression of unvoiced understanding, lighting up his warm face.

"Why don't you sit and eat with me?" Bolin suggested brightly, open-handedly gesturing at the vacant wooden seat in front of him. Jinora gave him a small smile of gratitude and walked to the seat that he had allocated her, placing the food she had collected in front of her with a gentle thud. She was thankful that Bolin had not taken offense to any rambling she had done and for understanding that she was on edge. Jinora started quickly placing food in the deep bowl in front of her and proceeded to eat it ferociously, leaving all semblances of her usual, graceful self behind to be replaced with what looked like the focus of a ravenous moose-lion eating its last meal. For the second time today, Jinora found herself shoving as much food as she could physically fit in to her mouth. Bolin watched her uncharacteristic behaviour with amused interest. She didn't seem to notice his attention and continued to wolf down the food. When he was around her, he felt like he was sixteen again. The way that they could spend time together in comfortable silence was a refreshing change compared to time he had spent with other women of his age. With other women, it was like silence was a sin and it soon became awkward to be around them when the conversation ran dry. With Jinora however, he could peacefully enjoy her presence without having to force a single word. Not that he needed to say anything; Jinora was too preoccupied devouring any food she came across. Bolin didn't think he could ever be bored with her. He drank in her features time and time again, appreciating her as though she were a priceless work of art. He was dragged out of his train of thought by the unceremonious clatter of Jinora's now empty bowl and her golden brown eyes locking with his in an expectant stare.

"Bolin, why are you staring at me?" She asked with an air of self consciousness.

'_Because you are the most beautiful woman on the planet,' _He thought to himself loudly. His reply was a bit more modest.

"I was just thinking about how much you've grown since I met you," He answered in a half truth. "You're not ten years old anymore. You've developed in to this beautiful, intelligent young woman. I was just thinking about how much I have enjoyed spending the time with you." He finished off quietly. Jinora blushed at his honest compliments. At this rate, she felt like it would be less effort for her face if she just kept a permanent blush on while she was around Bolin. He gave Jinora one of his trade mark crooked smiles as her eyes met his briefly.

"Oh, by the way, how did your test go?" Bolin added after a second of comfortable silence had passed.

"So far, pretty good. I passed my Airbending exam, now I just need to pass the meditation section. It goes for twenty four hours, hence my raid of the pantry." She added with a slight laugh. Reminding herself of the meditation, she looked at the rickety old clock hanging from the wall.

**Twenty to Twelve**

"Ten minutes left," She thought out loud. Bolin coined on quickly to what she was talking about and looked to the clock to verify her statement. Bolin watched as Jinora stood up from her chair, emitting a soft scraping sound as she moved to clear the table, blowing her long hair out of her tired eyes. Bolin watched her body longingly as she swiftly cleared the table, the curves of her body becoming accentuated temptingly as she leaned over to wash her bowl in the sink. He was internally battling his overwhelming urge to walk over, hold her from behind, brush her chocolate brown hair out of the way and tenderly kiss her neck. If he was a weaker man, he may have done so. He stopped himself by the reminder of the silent promise he had made. _'Stupid promise,' _He internally cursed as Jinora dried the plate and placed it back in to its spot. As she finished up, Jinora dried her hands off on the towel next to the sink, turning back and facing Bolin when she had finished. He stood and slowly approached her, stopping about ten inches from where she stood.

"The next time I see you, you'll be a master Air bender." Bolin marvelled, looking down into her rich brown eyes. She smiled at him gently. "I can't wait to see your awesome tattoos," He added childishly. "They're going to look great on you."

"You know they have to shave my hair off to tattoo me, right?" Jinora asked, raising an eyebrow at him.

"It doesn't matter. Your hair isn't what makes you beautiful," Bolin remarked tenderly looking deep into her rich brown eyes. Her expression softened considerably, her eyes glowing with adoration for him. He knew exactly what to say to her to make her feel special. She desperately wanted to tell him how she felt, wanted to feel his lips pressing gently against her own; but instead of indulging in her want of him, Jinora tore her eyes away from him, looking behind him at the clock again.

**Quarter to Twelve**

"Bolin, I have to go," Jinora breathed softly at him, her eyes returning to her look of adoration which was now added to with sadness.

"I know," Bolin replied quietly, reaching out and placing his rough hand on her delicate cheek. He gently pulled her in to him, feeling her arms wrap around his torso. He planted a long, poignant kiss gently on the top of her head as she snuggled in to him. They unwillingly broke apart smiling ruefully at each other.

"Good luck Jinora," Bolin said encouragingly, letting his hand leave her face.

"Thanks Bo," she replied smilingly. "I have to go now; I'll see you after I'm finished." She completed her sentence and before another word could be spoken, she was gone. He sighed wistfully in her direction. Knowing that the next time he saw her, she would be an Airbending master.

Jinora quickly exited the kitchen and made her way briskly down the hall. After making a quick visit to the bathroom, she gracefully made her way down the stairs and down to the pavilion where the panel of acolytes and her father awaited.

* * *

_**AN: Hey guys, I hope you are enjoying reading this story so far. I have really loved writing it. Unfortunately it is going to be a bit of a wait for the next chapter since I will be sitting exams and will not have access to my computer. Hang in there though. I will post another chapter as soon as I can. Please review, I love hearing what you have to say. I should also probably mention that I do not own The Legend Of Korra or the characters.**_

_**Hazelehm**_


	6. Enveloped

Chapter Six – Enveloped

The gentle fall of Jinora's footsteps echoed softly through the night as she swiftly walked towards the serene lights of the candle lit meditation pavilion which flickered calmly in the tranquil wind. Jinora used the short time she had in her walk to thoroughly reflect on everything that had happened today. She affectionately recalled the way Bolin had held her before she left. She loved that their unspoken passion for each other could be expressed by a simple look or soft touch. She was still able to feel some of the warmth that Bolin's hand had given lingering on her cheek. She ran her fingers softly over the place where Bolin had kissed her, feeling butterflies rise to her stomach again, making her slightly giddy. Aside from her encounter with Bolin, she also recollected the way that she had demonstrated her skill and what she was thinking during her Airbending exam. Her anxiety, passion and pride all mixed together to give her a sense of silent pride.

Even while all of these thoughts swam restlessly through her head, there was one part of the day that had really stuck with Jinora; Unrelenting Energy. She marvelled at the feeling of the incredible energy and life she had experienced whilst moving with the air around her. The sensation of manipulating the tiny humming particles with her Airbending and breathing in the air was unlike anything she had ever experienced before. Never had she felt something so surreal and intoxicating. In all her life, Jinora had never felt so connected to her element. She couldn't help but wonder what it was that made the air feel so alive. Jinora's logical side was telling her that it was just her nerves acting out on her and creating a delusion. Her romantic thoughts were clinging to the unvoiced hope that somehow, Aang was there, guiding and encouraging her from the spirit world. Both her logical and romantic sides of thought were equally matched in passionate argument. Jinora took the opportunity to give a long glance at the glowing statue of her grandfather and smiled warmly, remembering the dream that she had been awoken from this morning. It was almost hard to believe that only a day had passed. The argument in her head subsided after coming to the conclusion that even if it wasn't possible, Jinora would like to think that her grandfather was watching over her and helping her along. After a few moments of silent thought Jinora looked back towards the pavilion she was walking towards and was able to start making out the silhouettes of the air acolytes and her father talking in a group, their voices being captured gently by the wind. As the acolytes and Tenzin noticed Jinora's approach, they lined up to greet her.

"Miss Jinora," Chiron greeted formally towards the young air bender. "Welcome back. I trust that you are fully prepared for your meditation?" He questioned politely with a small smile.

"Yes, thank you Acolyte Chiron," She replied politely, returning a courteous smile to him and the other members of the panel.

"Excellent! In that case, allow me to inform you about your meditation," Chiron continued in a windswept voice. "As you already know, the next twenty four hours will be solely dedicated to meditation. To make sure you do not break your meditation, one member from the panel will accompany you each hour. If you are to break your meditation for any reason, you will not be granted your status as an Airbending master. Do you understand?" He asked seriously, his creased blue eyes looking intensely at Jinora. She nodded silently in response.

"Alright young air bender, please take your place in the middle of the meditation pavilion," Chiron instructed Jinora as he gave a placid gesture towards her spot.

"At the sound of the twelfth chime of the clock, you will begin your meditation. You will be stopped at the twelfth chime of the clock in twenty four hours time," Chiron finished as Jinora made her way over to the spot he had allocated her. Jinora sat down elegantly and gracefully assumed her meditative position. As she sat in place, she could hear the shuffling of many pairs of feet exiting the meditation pavilion, leaving her alone with Chiron, who would start the supervision phase of the evening by joining her in meditation.

"Good luck Jinora," He whispered to her encouragingly, and took his spot a reasonable distance beside her. Jinora took a steadying breath to try and prevent her impending nerves from kicking in. The usual effect of this action however did nothing to settle her down. The fact that her breathing had no effect started to unravel her composure. She started being bombarded by hundreds of thoughts, none of which made any sense. Her mind was racing now, preventing her from quieting herself in preparation. She could feel panic starting to settle in. If she didn't stop her thoughts fast, there was no way she would be able to sink in to a meditation for any duration of time. Her breathing started to get ragged; the jumbled sounds of a thousand thoughts were becoming an unbearable cacophony of sound that deafened any rational thought. She started to visibly tremble with nervousness and she almost lost her nerve completely until she noticed it...

For the second time today, the air around her changed. It gave the same feeling of energy that she had experienced earlier today. Jinora almost cried out loud with the relief that flooded through her body. The air became thick with the comforting presence of energy and welcome sensation of tranquillity which almost immediately stilled her mind. She took a quiet breath in and let the air clear her mind. In that moment she felt at almost complete peace. She looked out to the moon drenched ocean from where she sat and drank in the last image that she would see for twenty four hours. Calmly, she waited in expectation for the clock to chime.

_**DONG**_

The first reverberating chime danced through the air brightly to her sensitive ears. Jinora looked outward and started mentally preparing herself for deep meditation.

_**DONG**_

Shuffling slightly in position, she made sure that she was as comfortable as possible before the time was up.

_**DONG**_

As she found a comfortable spot, she relaxed her body into position; permitting the ringing of the clock to become synonymous to the pace of her heartbeat.

_**DONG, DONG, DONG, DONG, DONG, DONG, DONG**_

As her heart beat slowed to the pace of the chiming, she could feel her thoughts starting to delicately melt away. To be able to fully enter a strong meditation, she had to let everything go. This was the hardest part of the test. Letting go of all earthly attachment was not an easy thing to do. All her attachments to happiness, mistakes, fear, pain, guilt, love and sadness were slowly discarded by Jinora as the clock chimed. The very last thing to let go of was the image of Bolin's handsome face. The memory stunted her focus for a second. Of everything she had experienced in her sixteen years of life, he was the hardest thing to let go of. Reluctantly, she let the image of his face fade away in to nothingness, allowing all her earthly attachments to vanish before her.

_**DONG**_

Opening her eyes for the last time today, she said goodbye to the glimmering moon that cascaded over the sea. Closing her eyes, she settled in. Jinora had never felt so ready in her life.

_**DONG**_

At the last chime of the clock, Jinora took a deep breath, exhaling slowly. As she exhaled, Jinora could feel her mind detaching itself from the confines of her body, becoming as light as air and allowing her to sink slowly in to a deep and unfaltering meditative trance.

_**AN: Hi everyone, Thank you for being so patient and leaving such wonderful reviews. I really appreciate that you take the time to read this story. After a week of desperately wanting to write this, I got home, sat down and just typed. This is the result. Get excited for the next chapter. It should be up in a few days! Once again, thank you.**_

_**Hazel**_


	7. Equilibrium

Chapter Seven - Equilibrium

Jinora had never felt more relaxed in her life. Being able to fully detach from the strings that suspended her to the physical world was like shedding every ounce of her weight. Her mind was fully released from the burdens of attachment and responsibility. She was finally free. Jinora's body sat straight backed and cross legged in the meditation pavilion; her brown hair had freed itself from her bun and now fluttered loosely in the calm wind. There were absolutely no thoughts passing through Jinora's mind. Her body was running itself on autopilot without the need of her intervention. She was barely aware of what was around her at a basic level of instinct, only intermittently able to sense the air acolyte's movement as they replaced each other at the passing of each hour. Though she could sense it, she thought nothing of it. Apart from their movements, as far as she was concerned there was nothing going on outside of her body.

As the hours progressed, Jinora's meditation became deeper and deeper, its strength rolling over her in strong waves. Her breathing had become extremely slow, only inhaling and exhaling about twice a minute. In her deepest state of meditation she started to feel something happen to her that she had never experienced before. It was as though her mind was starting to float away from her body, as if her spirit was liberating itself of her physical body. She could almost feel her spirit pry itself out of her person. Immediately after the sensation passed, she felt a soft large hand gently take hold of her own, pulling her upwards and leading her away from the meditation pavilion. She followed the pulling hand blindly; keeping her eyes closed and mind clear, allowing her legs to work themselves. Jinora could see the presence of sun glowing a vibrant red though her delicate eyelids. She wondered how long she had been meditating and where she was being led to. Was this part of the test?

After a substantial amount of walking had been done, her thoughtlessness slipped away and allowed her curiosity to get the better of her. Jinora sneakily cracked open one of her eyes, becoming blinded momentarily by the bright light of the day. When her eyes had recovered, they focused on her surroundings. It appeared that she was being led to a part of the island she did not recognise by an orange hooded figure of a man that she couldn't place in her memory. He didn't seem to react negatively to her eyes opening, so she slowly opened both eyes, squinting to adjust to the sunlight. Once she had recovered, she looked back towards the lower island to see how far they had travelled. She was absolutely flabbergasted when she looked back to the pavilion.

_That's impossible_

From her vantage point on the slope she was walking up, Jinora could clearly see the back of her own body sitting in the meditation pavilion accompanied by an air acolyte from the panel where she had been hours ago. What was happening to her right now? Who was this man and where was he leading her?

At any other time in her life, Jinora would have been scared out of her skin by a strange tall man leading her to the edge of an island. Strangely enough though, Jinora was completely calm. For some inexplicable reason, she found that she trusted the hooded man leading her away and felt as though she was somehow connected to him. Jinora and the cloaked man soon reached a clearing in the forest which led to the edge of the island. Jinora observed the smooth rock ledge facing out towards the vast ocean. She had never been to this edge of the island on foot before, so she took the chance to absorb her surroundings. Without looking at her, the hooded man wordlessly gestured for her to sit at the edge of the cliff with him, sitting down on the smooth marble rock himself, facing away from the ocean from which it overlooked. Jinora joined him compliantly and sat to face him, able to look out to the sea behind his figure. As they sat together, the hooded man looked down towards the ground, not revealing his face, leaving a comfortable silence to hang between them for a few minutes.

"I have waited so long for this day to come." The unfamiliar man spoke softly to Jinora, his voice exuding an air of importance, making his gentle tenor voice resonate through the air. As he said this, he finally looked up to face Jinora's gaze, revealing his wizened silver eyes which captured her own in a resonant stare. In that moment, clarifying realisation flooded through her body.

"Grandpa Aang?" She uttered in disbelief, unable to understand how this was possible. The man removed his hood to reveal his bald head and blue arrow, giving her a beaming smile which lit up his handsome face.

"Jinora, it is so good to finally meet you," Aang said sincerely, still wearing his slightly goofy smile. Jinora's eyes filled up with overwhelming emotion and she propelled herself forward to hug him emotively. He smiled warmly at her embrace and returned her hug with a long tattooed arm wrapping around her small body in a fatherly hug. When she let him go, she returned to her sitting position with an incredulous look of confusion plastering her face.

"How... how is this even possible?" She asked seriously. "Mortals aren't able to enter the spirit world, only the avatar can do that," Jinora spouted out bewilderedly, giving Aang a questioning expression which accentuated her beautiful face and craved an explanation.

"Normally, you would be right," Aang replied in kind agreement. "However, mortals can enter the spirit world in certain circumstances, for example, on the solstice; some individuals are able to make contact with the spirit world. The air nomads have also been known to possess the ability of contacting the spirit world when they have reached the pinnacle of spiritual enlightenment in their meditation." Aang finished off intelligently, looking at Jinora's facial expression as it turned from one of confusion to dawning realisation.

"You mean... I've mastered meditation?" Jinora asked in disbelief, her brown eyes wide in shock.

"Yes Jinora. By letting go of all earthly attachments you were able to let your spirit be free and unhindered by any burdens of your physical life." Aang finished. His face still held the remnants of his warm smile.

Jinora was practically buzzing by this stage, letting a joyful laugh escape her soft lips. Even though Jinora felt absolutely ecstatic, there was a strange feeling lurking in the back of her mind that she couldn't shake. Something about her emotions felt wrong, as though something important was missing. She tried to identify what this feeling was being caused by. What had she lost? Almost immediately, Jinora knew what was missing. She had separated herself from her feelings for Bolin. Guilt flooded over her face as she remembered the man that held her affections. Even though she was happy now, it didn't feel whole because he wasn't here; she had let him go to achieve her goals. Her laugh disintegrated in the air leaving behind a guilt ridden silence. As this happened, Aang's face changed from his handsome smile and was replaced by a quizzical look when he noticed Jinora's change of demeanour.

"What's wrong Jinora?" Aang asked sensitively, moving from his spot in front of her in preference to a place at her side.

"I know I should be happy, and I am, but I just feel so guilty..." Jinora admitted, looking in to Aang's silver eyes sadly. She brought her knees to her chin and looked out vaguely towards the ocean. "To get in to such a deep meditation, I had to let go of so much. I even had to let go of someone that I... love."

As soon as Jinora had said these words, she felt an instant pang of emotion hit her. She had let so much go, but having to let Bolin go had truly clarified her feelings for him. Detaching herself from her love for him was like being slowly suffocated. It made her feel sick to the stomach. It had been the hardest part of the meditation phase. Aang saw the pain in her eyes and nodded gently in understanding, his intelligent grey eyes giving her an empathetic gaze. He put a long arm comfortingly around her shoulder. He knew exactly how she felt.

"I know how hard that is. I had to do it once myself with your grandmother. It hurts you more than any physical wound could." Jinora nodded in silent agreement. She could feel the burning sensation of tears threatening to fall from her eyes. Jinora quickly blinked them away. For a short moment there was a relaxed silence, both of them looking out towards the glimmering ocean. While Jinora watched the tips of the waves catch in the sunlight. As they observed the view, Aang positioned his body in to the meditative position and started to speak.

"I know that it may be hard to believe right now, but knowing what it feels like to lose someone you love is extremely important. Every single life, whether it be in the past, present or future, is connected in a delicate and intrinsic balance. To gain a full understanding of how interconnected we all are, you need to start by looking from within." Aang continued to speak, the air of wisdom returning to his voice. "Understanding the full spectrum of emotions that you have allows you to maintain balance inside yourself. Learning how to deal with certain emotions is a major part in empathising with others and dealing with problems, for example, learning to counter anger with forgiveness instead of blind revenge. Knowing all the extremities of your emotions is what allows you to relate and connect with every life on earth. At any one moment, every single emotion in the world is being felt. We live as though our lives are separate, but this is just an illusion. Everything is living and breathing together in the same world as you. The struggles inside yourself are universal and not yours alone to bear. Allow yourself to feel the emotions that you have. This is the way to maintain equilibrium. As for love, it is the most important bond of all. Love is the strongest attachment we have to each other. It is also the most important. Never let it go Jinora, it is the key to unlocking everything around you." Aang finished insightfully, leaving Jinora in a deep pool of thoughts. His words of wisdom developed a new frame of mind for Jinora. She had know that all life was sacred but never really considered how interwoven all life was. It had taken her sixteen years to fully understand the lesson, and it changed her. After a long time of comfortable silence had passed between them, Jinora spoke up softly.

"Aang, I don't think I can let Bolin go again." Jinora said seriously, her lips starting to silently quiver with the sadness that was filling her body.

"You don't have to." Aang replied with a sincere smile reaching his thin lips. "While spiritual enlightenment is the aim of the air nomads, you should also value love and all the things that keep you attached to the physical world. Both aspects of life are equally important."

At these words, Jinora let a small smile escape from her lips and raised a hand to wipe a single tear from her ivory cheek.

"It's getting late," Aang remarked, noticing the deep orange hue that swept across the sea. "I should take you back to your body."

Jinora chuckled and nodded in agreement, lithely raising herself from her seated position. Aang pushed himself up from the ground to stand beside her. They slowly walked the long distance back to her body, talking intermittently about each other's lives. By the time they reached the meditation pavilion, the sun had well and truly sunk behind the mountains leaving the sky a deep navy blue scattered with bright stars and a lazy moon to give a gentle wash of light to the land. Jinora took the opportunity to look over at the giant clock across the ocean. _Eleven thirty p.m_. Had it really been twenty four hours already?

Aang and Jinora stopped in front of the meditation pavilion where her body and Tenzin were now seated. They faced each other solemnly.

"This is where I have to leave you. Good bye Jinora. I will miss you so much." Aang said, emotion lacing his voice as he looked down at her face.

"Will I ever see you again?" Jinora asked softly, a sad but hopeful look contained by her deep brown eyes.

"One day we will meet again, I promise." Aang answered Jinora, pulling her in to a long goodbye hug. "Just remember, I am a part of you. I will always be with you when you need me." As Aang said this, she felt the same sensation that she had sensed in the air today, energy, life, balance, equilibrium. She smiled gratefully and reluctantly released her grandfather, a few tears escaping her eyes.

"Goodbye grandpa Aang" Jinora said, taking one last look at her grandfather before walking carefully in to the pavilion, doing her best to avoid touching Tenzin. She took a minute to regain her composure and wipe away her tears. Once she had calmed herself, she gently placed her spirit hands on her own physical shoulders. As soon as she did this, a nauseating falling sensation overcame her making her feel as though she was hurtling towards the ground at terminal velocity. This feeling quickly subsided and was replaced by a sensation that felt like ropes tethering her spirit back to her body. Finally Jinora was back in her physical body. The first thing she noticed was how heavy she felt and how sore her body had become. Her legs and lower back ached from being in the same position all day and shoulders were trying not to give way to a slouch. Jinora tried her best to ignore her fatigue and sunk in to a mild meditation. After a short time had passed she heard the distant sound of the clock chiming.

_**DONG, DONG, DONG, DONG, DONG, DONG, DONG, DONG, DONG, DONG, DONG, DONG.**_

After the twelfth toll of the bell had finished, Jinora felt a warm hand on her shoulder for the second time today. She stirred herself from her meditation and opened her bleary eyes to look at the person attached to the hand. She made out the blue arrow and black beard of her father. As her eyes focused properly, Tenzin smiled down on her proudly with a tear running down his face.

"Congratulations... Master Jinora."

* * *

_**AN: I realise this chapter is very long. It took me a while to write. I hope you enjoyed it. I may just take this chance to reiterate that I unfortunately do not own LOK. Please review, it inspires me to write faster. **_

_**Hazel.**_


	8. Worthwhile

Chapter Eight - Worthwhile

Standing up from her meditation after twenty four hours straight of sitting in one spot was uncomfortable to say the least, but she was thankful to be up and moving again. Tenzin slowly helped Jinora up, giving her an understanding smile as she precariously stood up, stretching out her stiff limbs arduously and slowly acquiring the feeling back in her lower body. When Jinora had regained the use of her legs to an acceptable level, Tenzin led her away from the pavilion towards the soaring air temple which housed the Air acolyte library and inside meditation area for rainy days. Once inside the temple they made their way from the library to the small staircase which wrapped around the temple. As they climbed the flight of spiral stairs upwards to the meditation area, Jinora became aware that the small room had been turned in to a makeshift workspace to give Jinora her tattoos. To the far left of the small circular room she noticed a soft looking bed with crisp white sheets spread over it and neatly folded towels at the foot of the bed. A few meters across from the bed were two comfortable looking chairs facing each other. In between the two chairs there was a small wooden table which had what she assumed to be the machine that would tattoo her sitting on it. Jinora also noticed that a small part of the room had been partitioned off. She silently wondered what was behind the screen as she moved to sit down in one of the squishy chairs next to her father. She sunk in to the chair comfortably, grateful for the cushioning underneath her sore body. It was only at that point that her fatigue really hit her; she glanced over longingly towards the inviting bed in the corner before she was snapped out of her thoughts by the sound of Tenzin addressing her.

"Jinora," Tenzin started. "In about half an hour, we will start tattooing your body. Before we start though, you will need to do a few things." Tenzin stated simply. "Behind the screen is a warm bath and a pumice stone. You will need to clean your skin really thoroughly so the tattooing will be easier. There is also a pair of scissors and a mirror. You are going to have to cut your hair so we can tattoo your head. Cut it as short as you can and then come out to me. I'll shave the rest." Tenzin said poignantly. "I suggest cutting off your hair first." Tenzin said as he motioned for her to enter the sectioned off area. Jinora stood up reluctantly from her seat and slowly made her way to the partitioned area.

"I'll be right here when you need me." Tenzin said, patiently staying seated.

As Jinora entered the sectioned off area, she noticed the large wooden tub full of steamy hot water which made the mirror on the wall fog up. The glimmering water looked extremely inviting and her body longed to soak in the water and relax her aching muscles. Remembering what her father had said previously, she walked over to the mirror indolently and swiftly wiped off the mist with her hand. When the mirror was clean of the mist that shrouded it, Jinora took some time to closely observe her features in the mirror. The first thing that caught Jinora's attention was how exhausted she looked. There were tired purple bags underneath her deep brown eyes which made her look much older than she was. Her long, chocolate brown hair was tousled from being let loose in the wind, the ends of her hair brushing softly against her gentle shoulders. Thinking of her hair, she looked down below the mirror to see a set of solid metal scissors gleaming purposefully up at her from the basin, firmly reminding her of the impending task at hand. Hesitantly, she picked up the heavy scissors and looked up to the mirror at herself. She took a long pause to savour the memory of her long hair, observing how much she grown to look like her mother. After a prolonged moment of staring at her reflection, Jinora brought the scissors slowly up to her face and grabbed a long section of hair from the front of her face. She opened the blades and put her hair between them. Taking a shallow breath and closing her eyes, she closed the sharp blades forcefully and cut through her long tress of dark brown hair with a resounding slice that reverberated in the small space around her. Jinora reluctantly opened her eyes to inspect the damage. Where the long hair that framed the front of her face usually sat, there was now a short tuft of hair remaining from where she had cut. Jinora sighed heavily

_'After I get my tattoos, I am locking myself up until some of my hair grows back,'_ she thought bitterly. This thought triggered a memory of a remark that Bolin had made to her before the meditation.

_"Your hair isn't what makes you beautiful," Bolin remarked tenderly looking deep into her rich brown eyes._

Jinora smiled warmly at the memory, becoming more energised by thoughts of him. She continued to tentatively cut off her at a steady pace. Strangely enough, she was starting to have fun about half way through. In the end she was cutting off her hair almost enthusiastically until every bit of her hair was cut erratically short with bits sticking up at odd angles. She smiled at herself goofily and couldn't help but giggle. Jinora looked extremely different with short hair, but surprisingly, she didn't mind all that much. In fact, she thought it suited her. Leaving her long hair in the small basin, Jinora walked out to her father with a peaceful look washing over her face. Tenzin's eyes gleamed as he silently gestured for her to sit on the floor in front of him. As she did so, he lightly picked up the faultless razor from the table next to him and started to smoothly clean shave Jinora's head until all remnants of her hair had been removed. After he had finished, she brought up a hand inquisitively to her head, feeling the smooth skin that replaced her hair. She turned to face Tenzin and gave him a small smile before standing and making her way to the partitioned area again. As she walked the small distance to the bath, she could feel the air attacking her small bald head. She didn't think she would ever get used to the strange sensation. As she entered the sectioned off area, Jinora became increasingly eager to get into the bath and soothe her aching body. She quickly removed her clothing and sunk her body slowly in to the alluring warm water, letting it gently ease away her aches and pains. After a few short minutes of silently soaking, Jinora picked up the pumice stone on the side of the bath and vigorously scrubbed her skin as she had been instructed. As she finished up, she slowly raised herself from the water, leaving the bath and wrapping a towel securely around her body. Jinora felt significantly better now that she had bathed. She walked out of the sectioned off area and back to her father, who in the time she was taking a bath, set up the tattoo ink, some charcoal and an ancient looking machine which she could only assume was the tattoo machine.

"Jinora, could you please lie flat on the bed with your back facing me. I need to draw the outline of the tattoo on your body." Tenzin explained with an air of importance.

Jinora obliged his request and allowed her father to draw the outlines of the tattoos on her body, sitting up every now and again to he could draw on her limbs. He finished off the outline by swiftly outlining the arrow shape on her head. Tenzin stood back to admire his handiwork and nodded in approval. Looking Jinora in the eye, he asked a simple question.

"Are you ready Jinora?"

"Yes, I'm ready." She replied expressively.

"Ok, sit on the chair. We'll start with your arms."

* * *

The process of getting her tattoos was long and painful. In some parts, it took most of Jinora's self restraint not to let winces of pain from escaping her lips. Jinora didn't want to appear weak in front of her father; she instead chose to hide the pain by occasionally letting her exhaustion overtake her, allowing her to lapse in to short, dreamless sleeps. These dozes were frequently interrupted by the searing pain that radiated powerfully through her body when Tenzin started to colour in the tattoos. The colouring of her tattoo was the worst part by far. Her arms and legs could only just take the constant dragging pain of the needle penetrating her skin, but the sensitive skin on her back was not so resilient. As the colour slowly crept up her back, Jinora tried to block out the pain by focusing intently on the small table in front of her, trying her best to block out the sickening whirring noise of the tattoo machine. This approach did not work for long, causing Jinora to feel queasy. She closed her eyes tightly and begged for a distraction. In the few seconds she had her eyes closed, she tried to recall the memory of time she had spent with Bolin, letting the image of his handsome face plaster itself solidly in her mind. It was almost enough. She felt the machine crawl slowly up to her scalp. Opening her eyes, she could see her father in front of her body with his arms outstretched, firmly holding the machine. She didn't dare to move. She could feel Tenzin now colouring in the front of her new arrow, expertly navigating the machine around the corners of her tattoo. Eventually the whirring sound of the tattoo machine slowed and came to a halt. Jinora took this chance to look at her father inquiringly. Tenzin took a step back and smiled fondly at his daughter.

"You're all done," He said proudly, a wide smile playing on his lips, sweat trickling from his brow. "Would you like to see?" He asked. Jinora nodded slightly, apprehension filling her face. Tenzin smiled caringly at her and gently passed her a small mirror from the table. Jinora accepted the mirror and took a shallow breath before angling the reflective surface toward her face. The first thing that captured her eye was the bright blue ink of her arrow tattoo which had settled smartly on her forehead, giving her an appearance of wisdom and strength. The sides of the tattoo were puffy and red from being constantly agitated by the machine, but Jinora didn't care. Suddenly, all the training, pain and sacrifices she made were justified. She loved what she saw and took a moment to fully drink in the newly applied arrows on her body. Jinora smiled up to her father beamingly, her eyes lighting up with pride.

_'I'm finally a master.'_

* * *

**_AN: As you probably noticed, I got a rather bad case of writers block, hence the long wait. With classes going back, I will try and update the story as quickly as I can. Only a few more chapters to go. Get excited. Once again, I don't own LOK. I hope you enjoyed the chapter._**


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